Unimaginable
by Incarnadine
Summary: When faced with a desperate situation, a young man discovers what he truly is. And finds himself doing things that he never imagined he would. One shot.


**Disclaimer: What you are about to read is not entirely mine. The characters and the locations belong to one JK Rowling. However, the words and ideas belong to me, the author, and I welcome honest opinions.**

_**Unimaginable**_

I never imagined that I would end up chained in my own dungeon.

But then, I never imagined that I would save someone's life.

I never imagined that I would be too weak to stand watching them tortured. After hating all three of them for years, I thought I would enjoy seeing them suffer, seeing them eventually die, but I did not. I could not. So I saved them.

I never imagined that I could do anything noble. And I suppose that saving your worst enemy from painful death can be called noble. My father always taught me that heroism was for weak fools. And he was right. But I never imagined that I would turn out to be one. Me, a hero? No one would believe it. If I hadn't been there, if it hadn't been me, I would not have believed it.

Once I'd done it, I never imagined that I would see the sun set that day. I thought that the Dark Lord would have me killed instantly. Or if not instantly, at least on the same day, after perhaps a couple of hours of torture. I had never imagined this sort of sadism. This complex mind game, the icy accusation, the torture, throwing me here and chaining me down… none of this was normal. I never imagined that they would make a special case, for me.

I never imagined that anything could hurt that much. I had never imagined, when I saw the victims writhing on the floor, that it could hurt so badly. I had always thought that they were weak. I was wrong. Before the curse was turned on me, I never imagined that skin could scream, that blood could boil, that joints could burn, that knives could imbed themselves in the liver, that steel claws could clutch at the heart. And I never imagined that all these things could happen together.

I never imagined that I would scream out for mercy. I never thought that I was that weak. I never thought to hear people laughing as the breath was tortured from my body. I never imagined that I would hate anybody as much as I hated them all at that moment, from the broken and bleeding thing that my mind had become.

When I saw the look in those hideous eyes, I never imagined that I would live to see another minute. I certainly never expected him to tell them to take me away to the dungeons. I knew what they wanted; they wanted me to reconsider, to join them, to hunt down Potter and the dream team. That was what they had always wanted, and I had always known that.

But I had never imagined that I would say no.

They dragged me out to face their Lord, and I saw the cold gloating lurking in the red eyes. He thought that I was bound to have cracked. He never imagined for one moment that when he offered me a last chance to join their precious band that I would refuse. Nor did I. Nor did anyone.

I never imagined that he would turn away from me, and look at me as if he were truly sorry, as if he were still human, as if he could still _feel_. I didn't expect him to beckon my father over, and command him to do his work.

I never imagined that my father would kill me.

I watch as he raises the wand. I look him in the eyes, those icy eyes, so like my own. I don't know what I expect to see, but I didn't expect to see loathing. I thought that he might find it hard to kill his own son, but in the end, the evil within won. Just like the good in me had won. I never imagined that there was any good in me. It certainly didn't do me any good.

I close my eyes. I can't bear to watch. I know it will be over soon, but I don't want to look at him any more.

I never imagined that the man who made me would be the one to destroy me.

More than anything, I never imagined that I would do something so stupid.

Heroism for heroism's sake. I had never imagined that I was so much like Potter.


End file.
